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WELCOME TO THE SAN ANTONIO BROWNFIELDS PROGRAM

The San Antonio Brownfields Program began in the fall of 2011 with the goal of assisting property owners and developers address the environmental concerns associated with inner-city and adaptive reuse projects. Today, City staff works with these partners to utilize all finance and incentive tools available to transform Brownfields from vacant eyesores to attractive properties and community assets.

What Are Brownfields?

Brownfields are abandoned or underutilized properties with real or perceived environmental contamination that complicates redevelopment. Brownfields properties could include abandoned gas stations, dry cleaning facilities, junkyards, old car dealerships, old factories and landfills.

What Is the Impact of Brownfields Properties?

Brownfields impact communities in a variety of ways. Economically, they decrease property values and city tax revenues. As sites remain abandoned and unmarketable, they increase inner city blight and urban sprawl by making infill development more risky and expensive. Brownfields that are not addressed through the assessment and remediation process can be a continued threat to human health and the environment as well.

What Are the Benefits of Redeveloping Brownfields?

According to a report by the United States Environmental Protection Agency’s Brownfield program, every dollar invested in Federal Brownfields programs leverages $18 in redevelopment benefits. Additional benefits of the City’s Brownfields program include:

Protection of the environment

Revitalization of communities

Creation of jobs

Increases to local tax revenue

Removal of blight

What are the Benefits of Our Brownfields Program?

Grants for Phase I Environmental Site Assessments (ESAs)

Technical Assistance in applying for brownfields funding from other agencies

Coordination with other infill development incentive programs (ICRIP, CCHIP, etc.)

The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) also has a Brownfields Site Assessment (BSA) Program that provides limited grants for Assessments, Clean-up, and Technical Assistance for remediating Brownfield sites. The EPA Region 6 office in Dallas also provides assessment funds for targeted Brownfields projects. San Antonio program staff can provide technical assistance in applying for these other resources.